‘Pure match winner’: Harbhajan Singh surprised by exclusion of this star player in India’s ODI World Cup squad
The Indian cricket board unveiled their meticulously chosen 15-member squad on Tuesday, 5th September, during a press conference led by Captain Rohit Sharma and the chief selector Ajit Agarkar.
Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh expressed his utter disbelief at the surprising omission of Yuzvendra Chahal from the highly anticipated ODI World Cup 2023 squad. The Indian cricket board unveiled their meticulously chosen 15-member squad on Tuesday, 5th September, during a press conference led by Captain Rohit Sharma and the chief selector Ajit Agarkar. This announcement marked a pivotal moment in the build-up to the prestigious ICC tournament, leaving fans and experts alike eagerly awaiting the forthcoming battles on the cricket field.
Two notable veterans of the Indian cricketing setup, Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin, were noticeably absent from the squad. Following the squad selection, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh expressed his surprise on Twitter regarding Chahal’s exclusion from the Indian squad.
“Surprised not to see Yuzvendra Chahal in the World Cup squad for Team India. pure Match winner,” Harbhajan said.
Surprise not to see @yuzi_chahal in the World Cup squad for Team India. pure Match winner
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) September 5, 2023
During the press conference, India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, confidently stated that there were no unexpected exclusions in the team.
“There are no surprises and you can get only 15 in. Some of the guys will be disappointed. I have gone through it and I know how it feels. We have good all-round options and this is best 15 we could get,” Sharma said.
“I have not thought about plans yet. Problem of plenty is a good problem to have. We have to see who is in form and who our opposition is. We need to see what the best possible combination could be. If someone misses out, then so be it. This keeps happening. You have to make tough calls for the team,” he further added.
Chahal and Ashwin have both fallen out of favor in the ODI squad. However, Chahal is highly regarded as a preferred spinner in the T20I format, while Ashwin is a consistent presence in the Test team, particularly when playing on home turf.
In the year 2023, Chahal has only participated in two ODIs, managing to secure three wickets.
India squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (VC), Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah
READ| India team for 2023 World Cup announced: KL Rahul, Axar Patel in; Sanju Samson, Yuzvendra Chahal miss out
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